Flexibility and precision – and that in large quantities: The demands placed on tube and pipe bending processes in the shipping and offshore industries are enormous. With the CNC 220 HD Schwarze-Robitec has now delivered a suitable solution to the Norwegian company Framo. The manufacturer of pump solutions for cargo offloading systems and oil and gas extraction processes now uses the reliable and highly robust tube and pipe bending machine for the fast and efficient production of custom-fit tube and pipe systems. Different tube geometries can be processed flexibly using the corresponding bending tools. All necessary tool changes can be carried out quickly and easily with a new system. This results in reduced refitting times and a boost in productivity.
Framo, based in Bergen, Norway, has been a renowned manufacturer of pump systems for more than 80 years – and is the market leader world-wide for cargo pumping systems. For the shipbuilding industry, tube and pipe bending machines that enable fast and very precise bending of complex tubes and pipes are in demand. This is because precision is an important prerequisite for the later assembly of the tube and pipe systems.
For processing tubes and pipes with larger diameters and made of high-strength duplex steel, Schwarze-Robitec has now equipped Framo with a new CNC 220 HD: The tube and profile cold bending machine is designed for permanent use under heavy loads, as it has a particularly high level of rigidity. It is ideal for absorbing extreme bending forces and thus prevents the machine body from twisting. The powerful and low-noise machine from the Heavy Duty series from Schwarze-Robitec processes tubes made of various materials, such as steel, copper/nickel/iron alloy and stainless steel. For Framo, the 30-ton machine bends tubes up to a diameter of 219 mm with a maximum wall thickness of 12 mm. Its specific range of services even includes tubes with demanding dimensions, such as 208 x 4 mm and 168 x 14 duplex – Schwarze-Robitec individually responds to such customer-specific requirements with every order.
Armed for the future with special equipment
The flange tube equipment enables bending, flanging on both sides of flanged tubes and folded tubes with loose flanges. This eliminates the need for subsequent flanging of bent tubes and the bending process is optimized in terms of time and costs. With the help of an adapter and a gripping device, the individual tool components are connected to form a set. This allows the heavy tools to be changed quickly and ergonomically using a crane. The existing tools can also be ideally integrated into the system. Another special feature of the CNC 220 HD supplied is the swing-out wiper die allowing for extremely short remaining lengths. The wiper die is swung out before the final bend for a tube or pipe system so that the index head can move the tube extremely close to the bend former. This way, users achieve the shortest possible lengths for the final bend – tube and pipe waste is significantly reduced, which effectively lowers production costs. The intuitively operated CNC control of the tube and pipe bending machine enables safe and proactive remote maintenance through simple access to all diagnostic functions.